Fox 4 News reports on Kids and Archery at Cinnamon Creek Ranch

With the release of the second Hunger Games movie, Catching Fire, there is sure to be a spark in the number of kids interested in learning about archery.  So Fox 4 News came out to Cinnamon Creek Ranch to do a story on archery and what CCR can offer to kids who want to learn more about this growing sport.

We took some practice shots before the cameras arrived.  Rachel shot a bulls-eye!  She really did great on every shot she took.

Richard Ray and a camera guy showed up from Fox 4 news.  They took some videos of the kids shooting.  Nicholas is there in the olive green shirt.

The kids were excited to meet a local celebrity, Richard Ray.  He was friendly and great with all the kids.

After shooting in the indoor range, we all went outside to show Richard the outdoor 3D animal targets.  The cameraman just happened to be filming as Rachel shot a ram.  Way to go Rachel!

We spent some extra time in the outdoor range before we left.  The weather was great and the kids were enjoying shooting the 3D targets.

Not only did the kids have fun spending their morning with archery and the TV crew, but they even got donuts and hot chocolate when they were done!

The kids had a great time doing this but they were most excited when they watched the clip tonight and actually saw themselves on TV.  Click on the following link to see how it all came together in the final Fox 4 news clip:

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/24057305/lone-star-adventure-cinnamon-creek-archery-ranch

About Cinnamon Creek Ranch:  Cinnamon Creek Ranch is located at 13794 Old Denton Road in Roanoke, TX.  Their hours are 9:00 am - 9:00 pm 7 days a week.  They offer 56 indoor shooting lanes and over 100 3D targets placed among their 80 acre property for the ultimate experience in outdoor shooting.  Best of all, kids 12 and under shoot for free!  For more information, please call them at 817-439-8998.  You can also check them out the Cinnamon Creek Ranch website or follow them on Facebook.

On the way home from Cinnamon Creek, we stopped off at our favorite lunch place in Roanoke - The Blue Hangar Cafe at Northwest Regional Airport at Northwest Regional Airport.  The food is always delicious but we really go for the sights because the kids love to eat outside and watch the planes drive by or even take off and land.

This was Love Love's first visit so Rachel held her up to be sure she could watch the plane take off.

Come Along on a Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament at the Dallas Castle!

We went to Medieval Times for a dinner and tournament show at the Dallas castle!  Stuart and Nicholas have been before when my brother came to visit but Rachel was sick at the time so the two of us had to stay home.  I'm so excited to finally get to go!

The kids were pretty excited too!  They even dressed the part of a knight and princess!

While we waited in the Hall of Arms for the show to begin, we got to spend some time talking with the Falconer.

Rachel did some window shopping.  She loved the beautiful colored glass balls in the case.

We finally got to enter the arena.  We had seats on the first row which was really awesome.  It costs us a little more to upgrade to those seats but it was worth it.

My handsome king and prince.  We were seated in the black and white knight's section so we were given the appropriately colored crowns.  We cheered for our knight to win!

The showmanship of the event was just amazing!  It was really impressive to watch.

And the horses were beautiful and so well trained.

They literally danced for us!  Oh it just made me giddy to watch!

The food was wonderful too!  We are taken back to medieval times so we were not given any silverware to eat with.  But that didn't slow any of us down!  

  

There was a delicious soup that we sopped up with some bread or just drank straight from the bowl.  Then we were given a perfectly roasted half of a chicken and a baked potato.  There were also plenty of napkins and wet wipes handed out!

When it is time for the tournament to begin, a safety net drops down separating the arena from the audience.  I guess this is just to protect the crowd in a case a shield or sword slips from a knight's hands.

The action was very physical and looked so realistic!  I was on the edge of my seat as we watched our knight battle.  

Yes!  I was hoping to catch a picture of the sparks from a sword fight.  So cool looking!

It was fun watching the kids during the show but even Daddy got into the cheering!

Hooray for the black and white knight!

After the tournament, our knight rode up to our section as we cheered for him.  He had a few flowers that he kissed and then tossed into the crowd.

Our little princess was just delighted that he tossed one right to her!

Medieval Times is a wonderful family friendly place in Dallas.  Kids love the show and they get to experience a piece of history while they are there.  There is even a educational section on the Medieval Times website to help you learn a little more about this exciting time.  Everyone in the show is so friendly and they all go out of their way to make sure you have the best experience possible.

Medieval Times is located at 2021 N. Stemmons, Dallas, Texas 75207.  Ticket prices for the dinner and tournament are $60.95 for adults, $36.95 for children 12 years old and under.  Lap children under age 3 are free.  Upgrade packages are available.  I highly recommend that you join the Medieval Times newsletter because they often offer some amazing deals on tickets to their newsletter subscribers.  Also, be sure to follow them at Medieval Times on Facebook where they often have opportunities to win FREE tickets to the show!  For more information, please call 1-866-543-9637 or visit the Medieval Times Dallas website at http://www.medievaltimes.com/dallas.aspx.

Goldie Blox: Best Toy for Girls this Christmas

Rachel is a girly girl who loves dolls, books, arts and crafts, and everything pink.  But she is "more than just a princess".  She is athletic and creative and great with math and science.  We will still get her the girly gifts that she loves this Christmas but I'm so excited to have found a new toy that is actually made to empower girls and encourage them to be interested in the way things work.

Introducing Goldie Blox and the Spinning Machine !

Goldie Blox is an incredible new toy for girls developed by Debbie Sterling, an engineering graduate of Stanford University.  She recognized the lack of women in the field of engineering.  She realized that society often steers girls away from expanding their problem solving skills and instead just encourages them to play with Barbies, tiaras, and other girly things.  

But Goldie Blox is here to change all of that!  Debbie Sterling is dedicated to reaching young girls with toys that are fun to play with but also awaken the future inventor and engineer in them.  Check out this video about the idea for Goldie Blox was born:


The Toy and Game Inventor of the Year Awards were just announced last night and Debbie Sterling won the Rising Star award!  Congratulations!

Goldie Blox and the Spinning Machine is the hot item on every girl's Christmas wish list this year.  It is intended for ages 4-9 and costs $29.99.
I love Debbie Sterling's quote, "It's OK to be a princess.  We just thinks girls can build their own castles too".  For more information about Debbie's story, check out this video of her talk at TED:

Have a Holly Jolly Holiday at LEGOLAND Discover Center!

The weather outside may be frightful but LEGO bricks are always delightful! 

We had a wonderful time celebrating the holiday season as we previewed some of the festive family-friendly activities coming up at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Dallas/FortWorth.

Santa Scavenger Hunt

Starting December 11th and continuing until Christmas, kids can search for Santa in a scavenger hunt through MINILAND. What a fun hunt this will be for all the kids - there are 11 little LEGO Santa’s hidden throughout the 1.5 million LEGO bricks in MINILAND!! 

Write a Letter to Santa

Stop by on Wednesday, December 11th or December 18th from 2:00 - 4:00 so the kids can write and mail their letters to Santa while enjoying complimentary milk and cookies in the Café, while supplies last.  

My kids LOVED the LEGO mailbox and they want to build one for our mailman to use at home!

Build a LEGO Christmas Ornament

For a minimum $1 donation to Merlin’s Magic Wand, kids can build a LEGO ornament to hang on the LEGOLAND Discovery Center tree.  Plus, they can meet Bertie the mascot! (Saturday and Sunday, December 14, 15, 21 and 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

My kids loved the ornament kit and were both so proud of their Christmas creation!  The LEGO Christmas tree will look so wonderful when it is covered with more ornaments like these!

If you are an Annual Pass Holder, don't forget you can bring a friend for FREE on Wednesday, December 11th and 18th!

About LEGOLAND Discovery Center:  

LEGOLAND is located in Grapevine Mills Mall, 3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway in Grapevine, Texas.  Admission is $19 for adults, $15 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for kids 2 and under.  To purchase special discounted tickets visit the LEGOLAND website at www.LEGOLANDDiscoveryCenter.com/dallasfw. In addition, as a special gift, all annual pass holders are invited to bring a friend for FREE on December 11 and 18.  

LEGOLAND Discovery Center is open Monday - Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. - attraction remains open two hours after last admission.  No re-entry is allowed after you leave the attraction.  Special Holiday hours include Christmas Eve 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Christmas noon to 6 p.m., New Years Eve 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and New Years Day 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.  

For more information please call 469-444-3050 or check them out at www.Facebook.com/ldcdallasfortworth and www.Twitter.com/ldcdfw.

Free Children's Book at Half Price Books!

If you've read my blog for a while you know that I love books.  This is a passion that I think is important to pass down to my children.  So since they were infants I've always had books for them.  Books can be found in almost every room in our home.  Each of our children have a hundred books in their room....although I think I counted over 300 books in Nicholas' room last year.  Rachel loves to just look at pictures and make up stories out loud.  Nicholas can spend an hour or two a day just reading quietly to himself.

The skill of reading obviously helps kids do well in school and throughout adulthood.  But reading also teaches them about the things and places they read about.  Even fiction books help them learn about being creative and opens up their imaginations to new ideas.

I love to scour used book sales at libraries but I also enjoy hunting for books at Half Price Books where I can find great quality used books for half the price of new. There are several Half Price Books locations in the DFW area and I can always find a good deal on great books.  So I was especially excited to hear about the Half Price Books' Booksgiving Day Celebration this weekend!

To encourage children to read, Half Price Book is giving books away this Saturday!  Every child that attends will receive a free book to take home!  If you don't have kids, you can still pick up a children's book for free and share it with a special child you may know.

So be sure to stop by your local Half Price Books store on Saturday, November 23rd from 1:00 - 2:00 to pick up a free children's book! 

For more information on literacy, please check out the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.